There But For Grace
by Bluebottle and Pixie
Summary: When you combine a normal Sirius story with a Suvae-and-savvy!Pirate Sirius, you get this. Please give it a chance!


There But For Grace   
By Bluebottlebutterfy **_AND_** Pixie Wildfire

**Summary**: There's Sirius stories, and there's Sirius stories. But we can guarantee that Suave-Pirate!Sirius is exclusively ours. Hold onto your knickers, fan girls!

**DISCLAIMER**: Characters you see here either belong to J.K Rowling or us. WE can garuntee you that we own the Hyde family, and as much as we'd love to own Sirius, we don't. 

Again, we'd like to make it clear **_THAT THIS STORY IS CO-AUTHORED!!! PLEASE CREDIT BOTH AUTHORS WHEN REVIEWING!!!_**  
DISTRIBUTION: Fanfiction.net and www.pixielights.com

**Bluebottle's A/N**: This story is a result of The Blessed Union (not like *that* :) of bluebottlebutterfly and Pixie Wildfire. This is blue. Pixie's notes are below. This is definitely not what it looks like. Well, it might be a lot what it looks like, but there are quite a few elements that are a considerable amount different than your mama's arranged-marriage story. If your mom has an arranged-marriage story, that is...nevermind. I need to know when to shut up.

 The Sirius, Suave Pirate of the Seven Seas (which, I must admit, was Pixie's brilliant idea--most of this was her idea, actually. I just contributed) part comes in a bit later, but... ::grin:: if I do say so myself, it's going to be pretty...interesting. To say the least.

Um, I have little else to say, other than review, add us to favorites lists, grovel at our feet, put up statues of us in your bedroom.... yeah, that's it for me, I think.

**Pixie's A/N**:  When I first stumbled upon Blue's lovely story 'Deflating', I was a bitter HP reader, just finished with OotP and I was sad. She showed me the light! I'm extremely honored to have the opportunity to write with her.

If you're reading this and you think to yourself 'Oh my Sirius! Look! It's another friggin Mary-Sue honing her little claws into my Sirius!' then, well, your wrong. This chapter may be slow, but don't worry. This is going to be a long, wild ride. We hope to make you laugh, make you cry, and make you want to jump Padfoot in an OMG-I-Want-To-Make-It-All-Better type of way, then we've done our job.

Please give this story a chance. And yes, this was mostly my idea so you have to bow down to me instead of her! MWHAHAHA! 

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Chapter One:

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It was a little after nightfall and the party was getting into full swing. The new Minister had been elected and all of the important people in the ministry, along with their families, were there.

The large windows lining the back of the ballroom were thrown open; the strains of Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' weaving over across the marble and wrought iron terrace and over to the shadowy corner where fifteen (soon to be sixteen, mind you) year old Sirius Black sat, trying to melt into the shadows with a crystal flute of white wine he had been nursing for the past half hour.

"You can't tell how happy I am that my family stopped doing the arranged marriage thing back in 1910." James said dryly, gently removing the flute from Sirius' hand and setting it on a nearby table. "Have you met her yet?"

Sirius shook his head. "Never even heard of her." He glanced over at James, who took a seat on the wooden bench next to him. "You know her?"

"Jacquelyn Hyde?" He thought for a moment. "I recognize the name. Will Hyde was the Captain of Ravenclaw last year." Sirius racked his brain, and pulled an image of Will into his mind. Tall, brown haired William Hyde had been beater for Ravenclaw, a broad shoulder seventh year who went through girlfriends like socks. 

"I would probably recognize her if I saw her." James continued, loosening the top buttons on his white shirt. "Lily would know as well. She knows everyone."

"True." came the hollow reply. The two boys sat in companionable silence as the strains of 'Ode to Joy' finished and an unfamiliar tune began to play.  

Sirius would never forget. His father had been waiting at the platform instead of Roberta, the boys' witch nanny. Orion Black was a tall man of roughly 6 foot 3 inches, broad shouldered with dark brown hair slicked back on his head and stone cold blue eyes. 

Regulus (or Reggie as he was known among the family) didn't seem fazed at the site of their father, but Sirius did, as well as the rest of the Marauders. He remembered his father's forced smile at James, Remus, Peter, and the scowl at Lily. Sirius wouldn't forget as his father set a large hand on his shoulder. 

It was almost awkward, for Sirius was only three or so inches smaller than his father. What an odd pair they made. Sirius was much leaner, skinnier than his hulking father. Reggie was the same. Their father frowned upon it, blaming it on Cassandra Black, the hawk-like Black matriarch. 

He remembered his father helping him set his trunk onto the trolley and rolling it down the platform and casually telling him, his oldest, rebellious Gryffindor son, that he was engaged to a girl a year his junior and that he better be happy about it and grow up.

"Padfoot?" Sirius blinked a few times and glanced in the direction James was staring at. "Something wicked this way comes." 

Bellatrix and Narcissa were scowling darkly as they came up to the boys. Bella took hold of her cousin's chin forcefully and examined his eyes in the dim light.

"Sirius Black, are you _drunk?" She hissed, her sharp, manicured nails biting into his skin. Sirius frowned and pulled away._

"It's just a buzz-" But Narcissa cut in. She was the odd one, with the pale skin and the nearly white hair. The only blonde in the Black family, if you disregarded Andromeda's three year old daughter, Nymphadora, who was a Metamorphmagus. But then again, since they had been disowned from the family…

"It's just nothing! Uncle Orion will kill you if you're drunk in front of all our family's friends!" Her voice had taken on a high pitched moan and James and Sirius suppressed their grimaces. "Not to mention that it's embarrassing." Sirius rolled his eyes and James suppressed a snort. Bellatrix looked on in disdain.

"You better straighten up your act, Sirius." She advised primly. "I'd hate for people gossiping about our already darkened name." The sisters glided away and James stood up and finished Sirius' wine.

"So!" He changed the subject brightly. "What do you know about this girl?" Sirius shrugged.

"She's a year younger than me, rich, pureblood, and rich." James nodded. "I'm supposed to meet her on my own. Something my parents aren't taking charge of." Sirius let out a bark of laughter and shoved his bow tie in his pants pocket and unbuttoned his black blazer. "You know, Reggie would go along with this. He's the 'little prince' anyway." James grinned.

"He's not as dashing as you are my friend, and I have that on the authority of one Miss Elizabeth Howe."

"Is Mr. Prongs insinuating that Mr. Padfoot is girl crazy?"

"But of course. And Mr. Moony agrees." James and Sirius turned to see none other than Remus Lupin standing a few feet away from them, looking over toward the tall hedge maze in the back of the Minister's house; the fairy lamps casting an otherworldly glow to emanate from it. 

Sirius leaned forward against the stonewall surrounding the perimeter of the terrace and looked out into the yard. James leaned between his two friends and continued the conversation.

"It's unanimous." James declared somberly. "Mr. Padfoot is a ladies man and the one most easily whipped."

"Hear, hear." Remus cheered and the trio lapsed back into silence for a moment until-

"Moony, do you know this mysterious Jacquelyn Hyde?" 

"Padfoot's engaged to her." James explained. Remus looked mildly surprised and he looked thoughtful for a moment. 

"You know, I believe I tutored her in Defense Against the Dark Arts last year." Remus mussed suddenly. 

James grinned. "At least we now know she's real and not some ghost. Right Padfoot." James and Remus looked at Sirius, who had gone as white as a sheet. "Sirius?"

"I'm engaged."

"Yes," Remus said patiently. "We know."

"I'm 16. And I'm _engaged._" James sighed dramatically and glanced at his watch.

"Tends to happen in pureblooded families as old as yours and mine."

"But I'm _engaged._ To a real, living, person!" 

Remus inclined his head toward James. "Off his rocker." He muttered.

****

Jacquelyn Hyde opened her eyes, squinting in the bright sunshine that streamed into the from the window at the end of her room, directly facing her large, canopy bed. Remembering what day it was, Jackie, as she was called, sat up and smiled, pulling the blankets closer to herself. It was her birthday, her fifteenth birthday.

Birthdays made her happy, even ones that weren't her own. She loved the idea that every person, every single solitary person on the planet, had one day devoted entirely to them. She thought that it was very good for one's ego, for their own, personal self-worth.

Jackie hopped out of bed, searched around the room for a pair of slippers (slippers were her favorite shoes; she had fifteen different pairs), and opened her bedroom door. She poked her head out into the hallway and glanced down it. Sure enough, three doors down, her brother's shaggy brown head emerged from his bedroom. He grinned once he spotted her and said, "Happy birthday, Jacks."

Will had a problem with calling his little sister something everyone else called her. He wanted to have his own unique nickname for her, one that was exclusively theirs. Thus, Jacks was born. 

Jackie smiled back at him. "Thanks," she said. "Where's my present?" She stepped out into the hall and crossed her arms over her chest. The nightgown she was wearing was a little revealing, and she didn't want Will scolding her. He _was _outrageously protective, as older brothers are wont to be. 

"Present?" Will asked, joining her in the hallway. "Getting a bit..._spoiled, _are we?"

"Spoiled, me?" Jackie repeated, pretending to sound taken aback. "Certainly not."

If she were to be quite brutally honest, she _was a bit spoiled. But not much. Only a little. Well, maybe a lot. But only by her father. Her mother absolutely refused to buy her expensive things unless they could benefit __her. But Jackie's father always found a way to sneak in a few costly first-edition books, some antique jewelry, and the like. He had bought her a piano for her thirteenth birthday, for example. Ooh, her mother had been angry with that one..._

But Will ducked back into his room, and Jackie followed him. She never ceased to be amazed by her brother's room: it was truly a boy's room, and it fascinated her. Quidditch posters of at least six different teams plastered the walls; academic achievement awards were hanging over the bed, and, on his bedside table, were pictures of his current girlfriend, a very pretty, very blonde Gryffindor seventh year by the name of Mallory Nicols. 

Of course, Mallory wasn't the only girlfriend he'd ever had; Will never dated the same girl for longer than a few months at a time. Jackie had once asked him what he did with all the pictures of the other girls, and her brother had responded, a sheepish grin had spread across his face, "I keep them in my drawer," and proceeded to show her a very large album, filled with all the mementos of the girls (letters, pictures, poems, and butterbeer caps, strangely enough) in chronological order.

Jackie seated herself on the edge of Will's bed, waiting excitedly for her gift. Will combed through dresser drawers, apparently trying to remember where he had put it, before finding it tucked amongst some old shirts, long outgrown. He produced a small package wrapped in lavender paper and tossed it to her. "Think fast," he said.

Jackie caught the parcel and ripped it open, excited at the prospect of the gift. It was a dark box about six inches long and she hurriedly slid the top off and gave a squeal of delight. "Will! It's lovely!"

And indeed it was. It was a thin silver charm bracelet, almost exactly like the one she saw on the mannequin that stood in the window of Madame Malkin's Robe shop. Little hearts and flowers dangled from the chain, and, oh, was that a unicorn? She grinned and jumped on her brother and hugged him tightly. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She giggled, pulling away to clip it on. "How'd you know I wanted it, Will?" He grinned and shrugged. 

"I saw you looking at it the other day. Mallory's mum works at Malkin's and helped me get it." Jackie grinned, pecking her brother on the cheek and complied as he ushered her out of his room, muttering something about Mallory and needing to get dressed. 

Giddily, she skipped down the hallway, admiring her bracelet when she ran into something. Stumbling back, her father grabbed her arm before she could fall. She grinned and hugged her father.

"Morning Daddy. Today's my-"

"Fifteenth birthday." His smile seemed almost fake and Jackie could feel her smile drooping. "I know darling. Happy birthday to you. Go on and get dressed, your mother and I need to speak with you."

Jackie nodded mutely and shut her bedroom door behind her and leaned back against it. __

"Wonderful way to ruin my mood, Daddy." She muttered, pulling down her red and white sundress that she had already planned on wearing that day. Her hand skimmed the dress she was going to wear that night. Of course, she wasn't allowed to look at it until that night; it was covered in a special bag. Her mother assured her she would like it and she hoped so.

After braiding her hair, Jackie made her way downstairs to the dining room for breakfast, a smile plastered on her happy face once more. And it once again melted as she entered the dining room. Her mother and father were silent, and Will's jaw was ticking. She took her seat with mounting trepidation and glanced at her parents. "What's going on?" She asked. Jackie jumped slightly as Will slammed his fork down and stormed out of the room. "Mother?"

Mr. Hyde frowned slightly, taking a sip of his tea before talking. "Jacquelyn," he began and Jackie felt her stomach begin to drop. It was only Jacquelyn when it was big. "You're fifteen now-"

"A young lady and it's time you start thinking about the future." Mrs. Hyde cut in. _I'm fifteen. I haven't even started fifth year yet! _She thought. 

Jackie looked at her plate. "The future."

Mr. Hyde sighed deeply. "It's time to grow up Jackie and-"

"You're betrothed." Mrs. Hyde blurted out.

And suddenly Jacquelyn heard yelling, and it took a moment to realize it was her own. "Engaged? Mum! Dad! I'm 15!" Engaged. Betrothed. Tied down, it was all the same. "To whom, if I might inquire." She bit out angrily.

"Sirius Black." Mr. Hyde stated shortly. "You will be happy about this and be grateful we aren't promising you to a man nearly twice your age." 

Sirius Black would be a lucky catch for any schoolgirl with half a brain. Devastatingly good looking; that black hair that fell into his smiling face-

But _engaged? _Jackie gripped the table briefly, before slumping out of her chair and onto the floor in a dead faint.

_*****_

Jackie was sitting at the horrible vanity her mother had given her last Christmas, trying to prepare for the party--_the party--at which she was to meet Sirius Black--her _fiancée_, oh, God. _

Her hands were shaking as she anxiously smoothed the skirt of her dress. Not only were here hands shaking, but they were also sweating profusely, which surely was doing nothing for the lavender silk of the dress. 

Fifteen, her mother had proclaimed, was still not old enough for a full-length gown. Jackie didn't mind, as she had enough to worry about without also having to stress over not tripping over her hemline. The length of this dress-- the hemline ended just below her knees--suited her fine, but that was probably not saying much, as she probably wouldn't notice if she were wearing one of Will's suits. The dress's sleeves, however, might be something to worry about; the cap sleeves seemed strangely uneven to her, and caused Jackie to wonder if it was her shoulders that were uneven. 

There was a knock at her door. Thinking it was her mother, Jackie stayed stonily silent, looking away from the mirror, choosing to look at the cranberry red curtains covering her window instead. 

The person outside her door knocked again. "Jacks?" Will's voice said softly. 

"Come in," Jackie responded, her voice cracking on the last syllable. 

Will entered, closing the door neatly behind him before facing his little sister. He sighed, sat on her bed, and put his face in his hands. "Jacks, I promise I had no idea they were going to do this," he intoned, his voice muffled by his hands. 

She bit her lip. "I know," she said quietly, half-heartedly reaching for a hairbrush. 

Will lifted his head, and in the mirror, Jackie could see that her brother's brown eyes were red, as though he'd been crying. Her stomach dropped for possibly the millionth time that day. Will never cried. "What do I do to stop this?" he asked. 

Jackie ran the brush through her hair listlessly, thinking that she should probably leave it down. She didn't even want to risk an updo. "There's nothing you can do," she replied tonelessly, reaching for her mother's wand. So as to avoid messy Ministry inquiries, when Mrs. Hyde wanted her children to use magic, she allowed them to use her's or their father's wand. Of course, she could always do the magic herself, but Mrs. Hyde rarely ever did anything herself. 

"Well, I've got to do _something," Will practically snapped, "because...because you can't marry Sirius Black."_

Jackie pointed her mother's wand to sections of her hair, straightening them. "What, would you prefer I marry one of _your friends?" _

Will blinked. "I _prefer you don't marry anyone. But especially not Sirius Black." _

"You never know," Jackie said flatly, setting down the wand and opening the drawer that contained all of her makeup, "I've heard that he's quite a nice boy." 

"Once he's got a good buzz going," Will muttered. 

"Playing drinking games with my future husband, then?" Jackie asked, taking out an oval-shaped gold box containing loose powder and opening it. 

"First off, I'm not playing drinking games with anyone, little sister," he said. "Second, he's not your future husband. Not if I have anything to do with it." 

Jackie smiled in spite of herself for the first time since that morning as she blew excess powder off its pale yellow puff before dusting it on her face. "Will, I think the only way you're going to get rid of this problem is if he dies suddenly." Catching her brother's contemplative expression, Jackie quickly said, "Don't kill him, Will; that really wouldn't be good for your Quidditch career."

"I couldn't kill him," Will assured his sister. "That wouldn't do anything, anyway," he muttered. "He's got a brother." 

Finished with the powder, Jackie reached for some mascara. "Maybe," she said, dragging the little wand along her eyelashes, "Mother and Father have lined him up for you." She saw her brother give a bare hint of a smile and he came to stand beside her.

"You seem to be taking this better than I am." Jackie shrugged and put the mascara away, instead replacing it with pale pink lipstick and rubbed it on quickly. Looking at her reflection critically. Maybe she should just pull her hair from her face…

"It's already done, Will." She concluded, pulling out two lavender combs from her jewlrey box and combed her hair back from her face; securing the locks on the sides of her head and leaving a few sections to frame her face. She blinked back the tears that started to form and looked at her brother. "Maybe Mum and Daddy are right." She turned back to the mirror and reached for her vanilla perfume. "Maybe it _is _time for me to grow up." 

******

"I am not off my rocker." Sirius whined playfully, attempting to resist the urge of beating his head against the stone column flanking the steps. Instead, he opted for making annoyed and aggravated sounds in the back of his throat.

"Mr. Moony is of the opinion that Mr. Padfoot is _indeed_ off his rocker, for it sounds like he's having a seizure."

"Mr. Prongs most whole heartedly agrees."

"Mr. Moony would like to point out that Mr. Prongs is 16 years of age and should know how to use proper grammar."

"Mr. Padfoot thinks that it would be best if Misters Moony and Prongs would focus on Mr. Padfoot's distress and pity him instead of arguing about Mr. Prongs' use of the English language."

The trio lapsed back into companionable silence, choosing to enjoy the night. Crickets chirping, people laughing, all accompanied by Beethoven's 9th Symphony. It was like one of the scenes in Narcissa's smutty novels. The debonair, bare chested hero from the cover would be spotted brooding at the party by the busty, scantily clad blonde, brunette, red, or black haired heroine.

"Moony," Sirius asked suddenly. "You don't know if Miss Hyde has a generous bust, do you?"

James snickered and Remus shook his head. "No Sirius, she doesn't." Sirius nodded curtly; satisfied for the time being. 

"My life is not like one of Cissa's novel's after all then." Sirius declared, staring into his empty the flute. His buzz was gone and replaced by the misery. _Married_, he thought. "My bachelor party better be good." James mumbled something about escorts and poles while Remus could be seen rolling his eyes once more.

Sirius set the empty flute back on the table, glanced around before untucking his white shirt. "Mr. Moony, Mr. Prongs," He bowed to each man dramatically in turn. "Mr. Padfoot fancies a bit of a walk in the maze and humbly requests your company."

James bowed. "Mr. Prongs is delighted that Mr. Padfoot is no longer moping and will join him on his adventure and I'm sure Mr. Moony would love to as well."

"Indeed I do, Mr. Prongs." Remus smiled and they made their way down the stone steps and casually made their way to the entrance of the maze. 

The green hedges were neatly trimmed, nearly ten feet tall. The cobbled path was about four feet wide, and at equal intervals, small cages of pixie lights lit the paths with their soft glow, making the labyrinth glow in other worldly light. Remus let out a low whistle. "This is nice. Why don't you have one, Jimmy boy?"

James shrugged nonchalantly as he peered down the paths. "Dunno. Last one to the center has to buy butterbeers for the first Hogsmede weekend?"

"Schools a long way off." Sirius grinned. "You might forget." James cackled mysteriously and took off down the middle path. Remus shrugged and took the left, leaving Sirius to take the right.

*****

Jackie was lost. Completely and utterly lost. Her mother warned her to take her brother with her if she decided to go through the maze. But getting lost was almost inevitable. 

Her life was turning into to some paperback novel. The party, the engagement. She was (heaven forbid) the blonde heroine who was to marry the handsome Gryffindor Sex Icon Sirius Black. Is she got herself into a corset and revealing dress, it would be complete.

Jackie was beginning to feel uncomfortable. On her quest to find a familiar path, she had already encountered three couples practically shagging in the dead ends and any other nook only she could find. She bit her lip when she came to a fork in the path. When she was little, her older cousin Mary would tell her a story about little Princess Lyn who go lost in a maze on a quest to find her brother wand was eaten by the big bad wolf.

Of course, she was five at the time, but it only added to her paranoia. Every footstep on the stone sounded like the padding feet of a man eating canine. Jackie shivered and quickened her pace, all while scolding herself. She rounded a corner and let out a small shriek when something suddenly streaked out in front of her, nearly causing her to trip. She was just about to run in the opposite direction to find Will when she heard a melancholy, "Meow." A cat. A large, elderly, calico cat had come to rest about twelve feet away from her and was looking at her curiously. 

"You're scaring yourself silly, Jackie. Scared of shadows and cats," she muttered. A sudden yell echoed through the maze and Jackie snapped. She ran as fast as she could, speeding around corners in her strappy white sandals, thankful that she didn't opt for stilettos. Turning another corner, she reached the brightly lit center of the maze and her stomach dropped.   
Sirius Black was standing not even 20 feet in front of her. 

She sucked in a deep breath, and Sirius looked up from the fountain he was drumming his fingers on. He frowned at her. "Are you lost?" he asked. 

"A little," she responded. 

He smiled a bit. "Well, I don't think it's one of those in-between situations, do you?" he said pleasantly, still not moving from the fountain. "I mean, you're either lost or you aren't."

"Well," Jackie stuttered, impossibly nervous. "Well, I--I _was _lost, but...but I know where I am now."

"That so?"

"Yes," she said, feeling a sudden shot of bravado. "I needed to talk to you anyway."

He looked surprised. "Talk to me?"

"Mm-hmm," Jackie replied shortly, realizing that her assumption that he had no idea who she was was correct. "I'm.... I'm Jacquelyn. Jacquelyn Hyde."

Sirius's face tightened. "Oh," he said faintly. 

"Yeah," she muttered.

"So you know, then?" 

She shot a look at him. "Well, if I didn't know, I wouldn't need to talk to you, now would I?"

"Hey, I don't know," Sirius said, "I could owe you money or something. I play poker drunk sometimes."

Ah, so Will _did _play drinking games with Sirius. Sort of. "In that case, you might owe my brother money, but not me."

"Actually, I think it's probably the other way around," Sirius replied, that trademark grin spreading across his face. "No offense, but your brother is a crap poker player."

"Well," Jackie said coolly, "his being inebriated might have something to do with it."

Sirius considered this. "Perhaps."

They looked at each other for at least a full minute before Sirius spoke softly, "Look, this isn't meant to offend you, but...I really don't want to marry you." 

Jackie raised her eyebrows. "I'm sorry, you said that like I was supposed to care."

He glanced at her. "What?"

"Newsflash: I want to marry you about as much as you want to marry me. Probably a considerable amount less."

Sirius studied her. "Is your brother...in this situation?" he asked weakly. 

Jackie looked away. "No," she replied quietly. "No, it's just me."

He nodded, not looking at her. "Lucky bastard."

****

  
  



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